HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
A July 1916 fire in Austin's 1870s Kreisle Building killed three people including firefighter James T. Glass, whose badge No. 13 was permanently retired — Austin Fire Dept. has no Station 13 to this day.
412 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701
Research updated June 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$
Bar and live music venue; cover charge varies by show. No charge for walk-in during non-ticketed hours.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-level building; basement and upper floors may not be wheelchair accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1870 · 1916 Kreisle Building fire — three deaths · James T. Glass, Austin Fire Dept. firefighter, badge No. 13 (retired permanently) · National Fallen Firefighters Foundation memorial
The building at 412 Congress Avenue in Austin was constructed in the 1870s and operated under various commercial uses through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By 1916 it was occupied in part by offices of the Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone Company.
On July 23, 1916, fire broke out in the Kreisle Building. Two Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone employees were trapped in the building's elevator and died during the fire. Austin firefighter James T. Glass responded to the blaze; during suppression operations, a section of wall collapsed and struck him, crushing his spine. Glass did not die immediately — he survived his injuries for more than a year — and passed away on August 17, 1917.
The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's memorial record for Glass confirms the dates, the nature of his injury, and the retirement of his badge number. Austin Fire Department retired badge No. 13 in Glass's honor and has maintained the tradition: no AFD Station 13 exists. The absence of Station 13 from the department's numbering is confirmed in the AFD station directory.
The Kreisle Building was rebuilt and continued in commercial use. Speakeasy Austin opened in the space in 1997 and has operated as a multi-floor live music and bar venue since, becoming one of the more active venues on the Congress Avenue strip.
Sources
The paranormal accounts at Speakeasy Austin concentrate most heavily around the building's antique elevator. Two Southwestern Telegraph & Telephone employees died trapped in an elevator during the July 1916 fire; staff who have worked at the venue for extended periods describe encountering a presence in or immediately outside the elevator — an apparition seen briefly and gone before anyone can look directly at it.
Slamming doors — in a building with no external wind exposure at the interior levels — are the most frequently reported anomaly. Staff working late and closing crew have documented the sound of doors being slammed shut in empty areas of the venue. Separately, several accounts describe audible screams or voices carrying through the building in the small hours, in circumstances where no patrons or remaining staff were in those areas.
Tour at TX's coverage of the venue documents the accumulated staff accounts and connects them explicitly to the 1916 fire deaths and to James T. Glass, the firefighter whose memorial record is maintained by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. The retirement of AFD badge No. 13 in Glass's honor — and the ongoing absence of Station 13 from the department roster — gives the Speakeasy's history a documented civic resonance that most Austin haunted-venue stories lack.
Notable Entities
Speakeasy Austin has operated as a live music venue continuously since 1997 in the Kreisle Building on Congress Ave. The building houses multiple floors of bar and performance space, including an antique elevator associated with the 1916 fire deaths.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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